In the transport and handling of packages such as milk cartons and other beverage containers, packing crates manufactured as one-piece units with four rigid walls are typically used. The use of such crates encounters a number of drawbacks, however, since such a rigid construction prevents the crates from being reduced in size (i.e. folded).
For example, until the rigid crates are needed for receiving packages, the crates must be stored within the packaging facility. The irreducible size of the crates requires an unduly large storage area within the facility that hampers the cost effective use of space by the facility operator.
Additionally, the machines used for packing the rigidly constructed crates tend to be unnecessarily large since each area within the packing machine must accommodate the full size and construction of the rigid crate. The operating mechanisms within such machines also tend to be unnecessarily slow since each operation involves manipulating the entire crate as a whole. Yet still further, the machine-handling of the packages that are loaded into each crate tends to be rough and inaccurate since the packages usually are simply dropped by gravity into the single open end of the crate. Each of these drawbacks leads to uneconomical packing operations that unduly add to the manufacturing costs of producing packaged materials.
In response to at least the aforesaid drawbacks in using a rigidly constructed packing crate, it has been proposed to provide a foldable crate such as disclosed in U.S. patent application No. 07/369,848. Through the use of such a foldable crate, significant economic savings may be realized in reducing the amount of storage space needed within packing facilities because each foldable crate may be reduced in sized and stacked upon one another for storage. However, the space saving advantages of such a foldable crate are not practical without a rapid method for erecting the complete crate and filling it with cartons.